The internet is one of the best inventions of the modern world. With just our fingers, we can navigate spaces and worlds without ever leaving the comfort of our homes.
According to a recent study, there are at least 300 million internet users in the United States. There are at least 70% of internet users worldwide prefer using their mobile phones to inquire about products for sale rather than talk to people or employees in person.
With that much traffic on the internet, it would only make sense to take advantage of the internet to do business transactions, specifically a land transaction.
But, how do you sell your land on the internet? Is it different from having a land broker do the work for you? Can you sell land fast online? Are there really more buyers on the internet than in the physical market?
In this piece, we’ll give you some information that you need in order to sell your land online. This includes some information about the profile of your target buyers, some tips on what to know when selling your property on the internet, and the steps that you could follow to effectively market your land in the digital space.
We hope that with this information, you can meet your ideal buyer and sell your land property for the most money that you can get to start a new or better life.
Things to Know when Selling Land Online
Here are some common questions that potential sellers may have about selling land online:
Can a First Time Seller Sell Property or Land Online?
Yes, of course.
Selling land on the internet is not like being an Amazon seller or an eCommerce seller in that you need experience in order to be successful at it.
Your only “product” is your property, which you are selling only once at a price that not every buyer can pay.
This type of transaction will probably occur to you once in your life. So unless you are a land broker, conducting the research to successfully sell vacant land should not be an issue.
All you need is the patience to learn how to sell your land online.
Is There Really a Larger Market for Vacant Land Online?
Not exactly a larger market, but more of a larger reach.
As we mentioned, there are hundreds of millions of internet users in the country. Creating a listing means you are giving those millions of people a chance to see your land property, regardless of where they may be located.
Would a poster, billboard, or sign post have the same reach?
By listing your property in the digital space, you are not only increasing your chances to dispose of your land fast, but you are concurrently helping a buyer purchase land fast, as well.
Do You Need a Real Estate Agent to Sell Property on the Internet?
No, but there’s no harm in reaching out to land brokers for consultation and advice regarding your land property.
The basic idea of going on the internet and creating a listing is that you are doing so to sell vacant land without real estate agents or land brokers.
This is not absolute, however, as you are still free to contract a real estate agent and have them work with you to sell the land fast in the digital market.
Is Purchasing Land Different on the Internet?
Selling may be different, but purchasing land online is arguably the same as buying land property physically.
What we mean is that people who buy land in the digital marketplace don’t exactly have the option of adding the land to their cart or buy box, heading to checkout, and then whipping out their credit card or PayPal to pay for it.
Selling land on the digital marketplace strictly refers to the marketing or selling process, which includes online auctions, negotiations, or dealing with a cash offer. At the end of this process is the actual purchase or exchange of goods.
Normally, this exchange happens in the digital space. Most sites, like Amazon and eBay, have a payment platform that processes transfers of money.
For properties, though, there is no such thing. You simply see the listing and contact the land owners or owner of the listing (such as an agent). You then negotiate a price and, hopefully, conclude a sale.
For a land sale to be concluded, you may still need to meet in person to sign closing documents depending on state laws.
Understanding Your Online Land Buyers
The profile of an online land buyer can differ from your average land buyer.
For one, an online buyer is someone who is well-versed in digital technology. This means that they can use the internet to research about you, as a seller. They can also look up your property to check if the information you provided in your listing is accurate.
Also, they can check if you listed the property with a competitive price tag, as compared to other land in the market. Most developers or buyers’ real estate agents are analyzing the land market online before purchasing regardless of being an online land buyer.
Many land buyers on the internet have the ability to purchase land faster. It might surprise you that online buyers can be fast to offer you quick cash for a fast sale. But, many online land buyers are purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of land around the country.
Finally, it might also be right to conclude that buyers of property in the digital space are “decided buyers”. What this means is that they are looking for land in the digital marketplace, not because they are curious, but because they are dead-set on making a purchase for the right price.
This is not always true, of course. But gearing your marketing strategy with this thought in mind can help you sell your property easily.
Steps on How to Market Land Online
Here are 5 steps that you can follow to sell your property in the digital marketplace:
1. Take Advantage of Technology
This step is undoubtedly the most important step of all. After all, you want to sell land online and being online means using technology.
So, where should you begin?
First, try to get some aerial images of your land using a drone. You can then include this drone footage in your website or listing to give potential buyers, real estate agents, and real estate investors a bird’s-eye view of your property.
Perspective matters a lot in selling land online and having quality drone footage can increase your chances of getting the highest possible price for your land.
Professional photos that highlight the key features of your vacant land can also attract buyers more easily. So, if you’re not comfortable using drone technology (or don’t have access to a drone), you can opt for a simpler option of hiring a professional photographer to take photos of your land.
Second, since we are talking about professional photographers, you can also get in touch with professional videographers to help you produce a captivating video of your land online.
In both cases, you can showcase the footage by either uploading it on YouTube and then including the link in your online listing or simply embedding the video footage and photos in the online listing itself.
2. Keep Your Prospective Buyers Updated
Keeping potential buyers updated means giving them information about any relevant changes in your online listing, land properties, or any vacant land sales that have occurred since the last update.
This information can include updates in building codes or zoning restrictions that have affected or could affect your vacant land or any other relevant information about your vacant land.
Depending on your potential buyer, you can do these updates via the online listings or if already in discussions with a buyer, through E-mail or text messages.
3. Be Available To Interested Land Buyers
Availability on the internet is one of those things that people both want and avoid at the same time. For sellers, however, availability is a benefit to buyers that you should not take lightly.
What this means is that when you make your listing public, you should be available to answer prospective buyers queries and messages.
Note that being available does not mean “at all times”, but within “reasonable times”. If you receive an e-mail inquiry about your vacant land, sending a reply within 24 hours from receipt of the e-mail message counts as reasonable, but replying after a week could lead to losing the buyer.
This becomes more true if you receive a message or e-mail from a buyer that’s making a cash offer for your property. The sooner you reply the higher your chances of closing the buyer.
4. Optimize Your Listing
Optimizing a listing is to give it a detailed text that would make it rank better on online sites or search engines, particularly Google.
A typical way of doing this is to search for popular keywords regarding raw land or buying land in the market. Once found, incorporate these keywords into your listing, but keep it organic and not forced or unnatural.
This strategy can get complicated quickly, though. So at a minimum, ensure your listing is detailed and captivating for potential land buyers. Including the footage discussed in our first tip will help you stand out amongst all of the other land sellers.
5. Include All Pertinent Information
Unlike a simple poster or “For sale” sign, space in the online world is unlimited. You can technically write anything you want people to see and read about your property online.
But to effectively market your property, focus only on the important information.
You don’t need to list all of the nitty gritty numerical details or if you’re selling the vacant land because of your deep hatred of your mother-in-law. The closing fees and other numbers can be discussed once you have an interested buyer.
Important information includes geographical facts about the vacant land, any plants, trees, buildings, or fixtures that it may have, your desired financing or selling process or option, and, of course, the price.
Good Places to Sell Land Online
Here are some good places to make your listing for your property:
- Online Listing Websites: There are a ton of listing websites to choose from, but here are some reliable marketplaces we can recommend: Lands of America, Land and Farm, and Land Watch.
- The Facebook Marketplace: On this platform, you can take advantage of its ads system and promote your land to Facebook users.
- Craigslist: This platform has been around for many years and allows you to post anything for sale, including land. You can also pay a minimal fee for ads.
Closing Thoughts: How To Sell Land Online
As we go further into the digital age, there might come a time where selling on the internet is the primary and only way of selling anything. Whether that day comes or not, it is still beneficial to learn how to list and sell your land on the digital marketplace.
We hope that we were able to help you get started on the pursuit of selling your land online.
If you have more questions about how to sell your land or how to find buyers, reach out! We are happy to help. (346) 207-1246